Ship-raising device



'QUEUE ,f @QUEI www l. VERCHAK.

SHIP RAISING DEVICE. APPLiCATIoN FILED FEB.2,1921.

Patented July 19, 1921.

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SHIP RAISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, I92I.

1,384,93 1 Pllwd July 19, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- FIG. 8-

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UNITED STATES JOSEPH VERCHAK, OF NUTTER FORT, WEST VIRGINIA.

SHIP-BAISIN G DEVICE.

Application led February 2, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH VERCHAK, a citizen of Jugo-Slavia, residing at Nutter Fort, in the county of Harrison and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ship- Raising Devices, of which the following is a s eciiication.

his invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ship raising devices and has particular reference to a device for raising sunken vessels to the surface of the water when the hull thereof has become damaged.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a ship with a plurality of inflatable gas bagscnormally deflated and positioned within the casing and inflatable at will to cause a damaged ship to ioat upon the s urface of the water and prevent sinking thereof.

'A ifurther object of the invention is to provide a ship raising device wherein the main deck of a ship carries a plurality of box -like casings containing normally dey fiated gas bags with gas producing agents arranged in the casings and adaptedto be o erated for inflating the bags to maintain tige shi upon the surface of the water when the hul ofthe ship becomes damaged. n

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a ship equipped with the present invention, the gas bags being shown by dotted lines and broken away,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the ship showing the box-like casings inclosing the gas bags,

ig. 3 is a rear elevational view showing the bags iniiated and projecting upwardly from the ship,

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of one of the box casings for inclosing a deflated gas bag,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan .view of one of the box casings with the hinged cover removed showing t e receptacle with- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Serial No. 441,962.

in the casing that contains the gas producingvagent,

ig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the receptacle containing the gais producing agent and the electric spark device for igniting the wick for producing the buoyant gas,

Fig.7 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line lI-VII of Fig. 6 showing the gas producing wick within' the receptacle, and

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view showing the electric spark device for igniting the gas producing Wick.

.Briefly described, the present invention aims to provide a ship raising device wherein the deck of a ship is provided with a plurality of box-like casings having hinged coveis arranged adjacent the gunwale of the ship. A funnelshaped receptacle is inclosed within each casing and contains a gas producing wick adapted to be ignited b an electric spark device. A normall de ated gas bag has the mouth ortion t ereof secured to the upper end of) the funnel-shaped receptacle and upon ignition of the wick, the bags will be iniated and automatically o en the covers of the box casings'to be exten ed therefrom for maintaining the ship fiotative upon the surface of the water. An individual sparking device may be associated with each receptacle or the receptacles may be connected in series to cause a simultaneous inflation of each bag upon the operation of a single switch.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a ship 1 having the usual deck ortion 2 with a series of box casin 3 anc ored to the deck as at 4 in proximity of the gunwale 5 of the ship. The box casings 3 include covers 6 hinged thereto as at 7 with the weight of the covers normally maintaining the same in the closed positions shown in l* igs. 2 and 4.

A gas producing device and gas bag are positioned in each box casing 3 and includes a receptacle 8 of funnel-shape, as best illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8, the receptacle including a base flange 9 anchored as at 10 to the bottom wall of the box casing 3 and the deck 2. A threaded mouth 11 projects from the upper end of the receptacle 8 and receives the threaded flange 12 of the funnel 13. A gas bag 14 having a reduced neck 15, has the neck portion thereof received on the funnel 13 and securely clamped in position by the strap 16. To brace the bag 14 when in inflated condition, links 17 are connected at their upper ends to lugs 18 carried by the bag mouth 15 and at their lower ends to the lugs 19 carried by the receptacle 8, this construction being more clearly shown in Fig. 6.

The gas producing mechanism includes a short tube 20 extending through the deck 2 and bottom wall of the box casing 3 and upwardly into the receptacle 8, the same being preferably formed integral with the bottom wall of the receptacle as shown inl Fig. 6. A gas producing wick 21 is positioned in the receptacle 8 and has one end thereof secured in the open upper end of the tube 20. To

ignite the wick 21 a pair of electric sparking contacts 22 yare connected to and insulated from the tube 20 with the sparkingV end thereof arranged adjacent the end of the wick 21 within the upper end of the tube as shown in Fig. 8 while line wires 23 extending from the contacts 22 lead to the battery 24 and are controlled by the switch 25. As a brace to the hull of the ship, and to more securely anchor the box casings 3 to the ship, a chain 26 yis disposed in the box casings 3 at oneside of the ship with one end thereof anchored as at 27 and when the chains are` in use the free end thereof is removed from the inclosing box casing and passed beneath the hull of the ship as shown in Fig. 3 for attachment to the corresponding box casing at the opposite side of the shi ssuming that the bags are deflected as shown in Fig. 4, and contained within the box casings withthe covers thereof closed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the switch device 25 isoperated for causing a spark between the gap of the contact points 22 for igniting the wick 21. All of the wicks may be connected in a single circuit or individually operated and uponignition of the wicks a buoyant gas is produced in thereceptacle 8 that escapes'through the funnel portion 13 andk through the neck 15 of the bag into the bag` 14. When the bags are inflated. the same automatically open the cover walls 6 of the box casings and project upwardly of the box casings as shown in Fig. 3 and by dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus maintaining the boat flotative upon the surface of the water. The link connections 17 between the receptacles 8 in the bags 14 combine with the strap connections 16 to maintain the bags 14 operatively connected to the receptacles while buoyant properties of the bags are sufcient to maintain the ship floating upon the surface of the water. Any type of wick capable of producing a buoyant gas may be employed and it is not intended that the invention be limited to any particular form of gas producing agent.

While there is herein shown and described what is believed to be the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made in the form, combination and arrangement of parts without departing from t e spirit and scope of the invention'as hereinafter claimed. Y

What is claimed as new is:

1. A ship raising device comprising in combination with a ship, a plurality of box casings secured to the deck of the ship, each casing including a hinged cover, a receptacle within the casing, a normally deated bag in communication with said receptacle, a gas producing wick within the receptacle and electrical means for igniting the wick.

2. A ship raising 'device comprising in combination with a ship, a plurality of box casings secured to the deck of the ship, each casing including a hinged cover. a receptacle within the casing, a normally deflated c bag in communication with said receptacle, a gas producing wick within the receptacle, electrical means for igniting the wick and connecting means extending between the gas bag and the receptacle.

3. A ship raising device comprisin in combination with a ship, a plurality o box casings secured to the deck of the ship, each casing including a hinged cover, a receptacle within the casing, a normally deflated bag in communication with said receptacle, a tube extending into said receptacle, a wick within the receptacle having one end thereof secured in the inner end of the tube and an electrical spark device within the tube adapted to be operated to ignite the wick.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH VERCHAK. itnessesz Ernani SUGARr, STEVE SAKi. 

